It looks as though Samsung could have something of a public relations nightmare on its hands. After halting shipments of its new Galaxy Note 7 to local telecom companies earlier in the week due to a number of high profile battery explosion accidents, it’s now being reported that the electronics giant could be planning on a device recall to replace affected Galaxy Note 7 devices sold in both South Korea and abroad.
It’s worth pointing out that Samsung is yet to make an official announcement on this matter and stipulate a date when the recall will start at both home and worldwide. However, a spokesperson from Samsung has reportedly told one Korean publication that while it will be difficult to start the recall process this Friday, it will probably kick off in the next week.
Samsung has issued following statement although theres no official word yet on the recall.
In response to questions on Galaxy Note 7, we are conducting a thorough inspection with our partners. We will share the findings as soon as possible. Samsung is fully committed to providing the highest quality products to our consumers.
Samsung initially said to have considered replacing batteries in all handsets sold, but it is now being reported that the company plans to either offer a full refund or a total device replacement service in the coming weeks.
The common denominator in the reported explosions – at least the ones that we know about – was the use of a microUSB to USB Type-C converter, which was initially considered to be the root cause of the problem. However it now seems that after investigations, the battery within the device has been found as the real cause of the issue. The battery packs within the Korean Galaxy Note 7 are provided by ITM Semiconductor, but only for devices sold in that market.
As you might imagine, it’s not exactly great news for any company to have a new flagship device on the market that could potentially be harmful to owners. Because of this news, Samsung’s stock has already dropped over 2-percent. We now await Samsung’s official word on the matter.
Update: So as soon as this article got published, Samsung released another statement via Samsung’s DJ Koh, the head of the mobile unit.
“As of Sept. 1, a total of 35 claims were registered with Samsung’s service centers at home and abroad. Only 24 units on a scale of 1 million were affected by the battery problem.”
“By putting our top priority on customer safety, we’ve decided to halt sales (of Galaxy Note 7) and offer new replacement handsets to all customers,”
At this point in time, its quite unclear if Samsung will issue the recall or simply replace for those who contact support.
The timing for this recall is also something Samsung will have to think over. Apple is going to announce its new lineup of iPhone 7’s and it would not be wise to leave the Note 7 owners without any smartphone at that vulnerable point in time as it could lead to consumers switching to the Apple bandwagon.
What do you think about this assumed recall? Is the Note 7 still going to be an amazing phone despite its various flaws? Sound off your thoughts in the comments section down below.
